Mini-break - Part I

This morning Davyd and I drove to Calgary for a mini-break. We actually left the house on time. The drive down was fairly good but once we got to the city, we had a slight problem. We were driving down Deerfoot, just going over Glenmore when the car stalled. We ran out of gas... Grrr! This was only made worse because Deerfoot is very busy and everyone drives very fast; there was no way we were getting out of the car and walking to a gas station (not that there were any near by). We called AMA. We didn't have a membership, but we do now. They brought us some gas and helped us get back on the road without being rear-ended.

This afternoon we went to the Naval Museum of Alberta. They have quite an extensive collection of items related to Horatio Nelson. One of exhibits is a scale model of H.M.S. Victory, Horatio Nelson's ship, made by a Calgary man. It is amazing. As a side note, did you know that H.M.S Victory is still in commission; its a museum but its still on the lists of active ships in the British Navy.

We went to the Cheesecake Cafe for supper. Mmmmmm...cheesecake...

Happy Thought

Grandma's creek bed is one of the prettiest places I've ever seen. The creek meanders through the willows, poplar and spruce. The under growth is dotted with wildroses and violets. There are ferns everywhere.

One particular summer, Uncle Pat decided my cousins, brothers and I were all old enough to not wreck his comics and let us all read his "Elf Quest" collection. We fell in love with the characters and the world and spent hours pretending to be elves, wearing rhubarb leaf hats and playing by the creek.

This past weekend I read a book called "The Devil's Teeth" by Susan Casey. Its about great white shark research that is being done from the Farallon Islands (off the coast of San Fransico). It talks a lot about the history of the islands, which is quite sorted and rather colourful, and the reseachers, who seem to generally trying to escape civilization.

One of the things that struck me most in the book is how little we actually know about great whites. We don't know where they breed or give birth, how long they live, or how many there are. I also hadn't realized that they'd never successfully kept a great white in captivity. In the Epilogue, the author talks about a baby shark that the Montrey aquarium had captured and successfully brought into one of their tanks in the Fall of 2004. I checked out their website and they have since released her back into the wild because she was starting to hunt her tank mates (tuna and other sharks) and she would have soon gotten to be too big to move.

I've been facinated with sharks for a while. I love the way they move; they have such grace and power. When Davyd and I went to the aquarium in Vancouver, I could have just sat and watched the sharks for hours. There's just something about an animal that could bite your head off it wanted to; it demands respect.

Oh the irony...

Yesterday I had a patron come up to the desk with a mangled library book. He explained that his dog had ate it. The title: Don't shoot the dog! : the new art of teaching and training.

For Pixie...

Pixie's dilemma brings to mind my decision to go be a camp counselor for a summer. I was in my first year of Bible school and had been planning on going home for the the summer, finding a job, and earning money so I could afford to return for my second year. Then, I met Andrew, the director of Hope Bay Bible Camp, and heard about the work they were doing with inner-city kids. I could help give these kids a camp experience. The only problem was, it wasn't a paying gig. If I went to camp, I wouldn't be going back to college in the fall.

Maybe I didn't make the most sensible decision. But sometimes right decision and the sensible one aren't the same. Camp gave me the opportunity to work with kids, fall in love with the ocean, build amazing some friendships, deal with my "issues", be a leader, stretch myself in ways I'd never imagined. I learned to ride the ferries and public transit in Vancouver that summer and went canoeing on the ocean almost everyday; things I probably never would have done otherwise. It was also one of the places where my faith was tested and ultimately was found wanting. In short, I don't think I would be as strong a person if I hadn't gone.

Pixie, I hope that whatever you decide, it turns out for the best and will support you in whatever you chose.